I wouldn't be surprised if they got this information from a receipt or something rather than following him home though. As he said, it would be easier to just mug the guy in that case. Following somebody home seems like a lot of investment and risk for a scam that only works on certain percentages of the victims.
- Less effort but requires willingness to use force.
- Doesn't require any knowledge of the phone system or victim's details beforehand
- High risk, since violent crimes can go bad.
- Police care more (although depending on jurisdiction they may take a report and be unable to do anything unless you get lucky and there are leads for them to follow).
Con game:
- Requires more preparation and knowledge
- Allows more time to abuse the card because the victim doesn't know anything's wrong for days.
- Virtually zero risk during the acquisition of the card
- Police care less... these crimes are more difficult to solve/clear.
Anyway, I was trying to muse that spying and following somebody to their home is a lot of work and carries the risk of being noticed and/or caught on camera, getting attacked by their dog, or at the very least consuming your entire evening. Who knows if the victim is going to drive 10 miles out of town or stay at the bar until 4am. Maybe they'll go to their girlfriends place instead leaving you with a bogus address. Maybe they'll notice you from the bar and wonder what the fuck you're doing following them..? It just seems impractical just to get your address.
Whereas getting info from a receipt could be safe & easy and you don't have to get physically close to a victim until you have them on the hook. You could pre filter. You probably don't even need to be at any particular location. Just go through a pile of receipts in the comfort of your own home.
But then again what do I know? Maybe it's ridiculously easy to find a mark and then follow them home.